Peter Crouch’s goal gave Liverpool their first win in the FA Cup against Manchester United for 85 years as Rafael Benitez’s men advanced into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory at Anfield on Saturday.
Crouch’s 19th-minute header was good enough to book Liverpool a place in the last eight for the first time since 2001, when they won the last of their six FA Cups.
In the day’s other fifth-round ties, Newcastle, without the injured Alan Shearer, saw off Championship side Southampton 1-0 thanks to Kieron Dyer’s second-half goal, while Charlton ended Brentford’s Cup run with a 3-1 win.
But Bolton and West Ham were forced into a replay after a goalless draw.
United, last season’s beaten finalists and record 11-times FA Cup winners, had their defeat compounded when substitute Alan Smith broke his left leg after falling awkwardly following a block on John Arne Riise’s last-minute shot.
”He has broken his leg and dislocated the ankle joint,” said United manager Sir Alex Ferguson of Smith’s injury. ”It is a bad one. He has gone to hospital, it looks very long term — it is one of the worst I have seen. I am sure he will be back.”
He added: ”Liverpool can play for only five minutes and win the game, that is the way they are.
”They pump the ball into the box and with good set-piece delivery, they keep you under pressure and they keep such a tight ship at the back.”
Benitez said: ”I can only offer my concern [to Smith] and just enjoy the victory with my team and our fans.”
At St James’ Park, Southampton held out until the 68th minute when Dyer, starting his first game since August in a season marred by hamstring trouble, was released by Charles N’Zogbia and slid the ball home.
Southampton, having used all three substitutes, were forced to play the final 10 minutes with striker Dexter Blackstock in goal when teenage goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski was stretchered off with what looked like a knee injury.
”It feels good to be back on a football pitch,” said Dyer. ”A couple of years ago I bagged a brace [two goals] in a Cup tie against Southampton and thankfully I scored a very important goal today.”
But Dyer also told the BBC that victory owed much to Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given.
”All credit to Southampton; the way they started off the second half, they were probably the better team, and if it wasn’t for Shay we could have been a goal down. But we kept going. Charles N’Zogbia went on a great run, put me in and thankfully it hit the back of the net.”
Just after the hour mark at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton’s Stelios Giannakopoulos, who also saw a penalty appeal turned down, had a ”goal” disallowed for offside.
Hammers striker Dean Ashton then headed wastefully wide for the visitors as Bolton were held to a second goalless draw this week after their Uefa Cup home tie with Marseille.
”We produced so much and came away with so little at the end,” said Bolton manager Sam Allardyce. ”Two reasons, really: our poor finishing and one decision from the assistant referee where Stelios is definitely onside and it [the goal] gets disallowed.
”We’ve made life extremely difficult for ourselves and if we get through against Marseille, we might have to face four games in a week.”
West Ham manager Alan Pardew said: ”The most important thing for us today was that we stayed in this competition. We realised a draw would be a better result for us than them.”
Charlton, whose lone FA Cup final win came back in 1947, proved too strong for their fellow Londoners at The Valley.
”There was a chance of a real upset today and other teams have done it to us before,” said Charlton manager Alan Curbishley. ”But we were determined and finished the game off.”
Darren Bent put the Premiership side ahead in the third minute against the League One team, who had knocked top-flight strugglers Sunderland out of the Cup in the last round.
On the stroke of half-time, Jay Bothroyd’s free kick doubled the lead against a Brentford side who were without DJ Campbell, the two-goal hero from their Sunderland victory, with the striker now at Birmingham.
Bryan Hughes then made it 3-0 in the 62nd minute before Isaiah Rankin pulled a goal back for Brentford late on.
”It was a difficult goal to concede and put us on the back foot. But the players in the second half were magnificent,” said visiting boss Martin Allen.
The fifth round is due to be completed on Sunday with treble-chasing Chelsea at home to League One Colchester and Aston Villa taking on Manchester City in an all-Premiership encounter.
The other two ties are both Championship-Premiership clashes, with Preston at home to Middlesbrough and Stoke welcoming Birmingham. — Sapa-AFP